About

The Elgin’s four main principals, Peter Pernicone, Darwin Conner, Paul Baum, and Christine Trauben, have known each other for 30 years. Peter, Christine, and Paul were born in New York and when Darwin moved to the city Peter, Paul, and Darwin became fast friends. They were highly competitive when it came to grades and sports at PS 11 (their Chelsea grade school) and have been close friends ever since. Paul and Darwin would spend so much of their time at Peter and Christine’s house that Christine (Peter’s older sister) quickly adopted Paul and Darwin as little brothers.

The partners all attended public schools in New York City through high school. Both Darwin and Paul worked at the Pernicone family business starting at the age of 15. The Pernicones owned pizza shops, Chinese food restaurants, bars, delis, and juice shops, among other things. Vinny, Peter’s and Christine’s father, used to refer to Peter, Darwin, and Paul as “The Triumvirate” and envisioned the three taking over and expanding the business. As an acknowledgment of their collective history, they named a signature cocktail—the “Chelsea 1724”—after the neighborhood and streets on which they grew up. Darwin and Paul grew up in Chelsea on 17th street while Peter and Christine lived on 24th street.

Although everyone went their separate ways for college, they would remain close, returning to work at the Pernicone family business during college breaks. Darwin ultimately went to law school and worked at large firms in New York. Paul excelled in various sales positions. And Peter and Christine (a business school graduate) took over the family business. In the not-so-back of their minds, they all dreamed of opening a bar together the entire time, and when the right opportunity finally presented itself, they jumped on it. And here we are.

All of this came from a dream Peter, Darwin, Paul, and Christine shared decades ago. The opening of the The Elgin (64 W. 48th St. www.elginnyc.com) is the culmination of that dream and they couldn’t be prouder.